


Sodales

by takeitoffhemmo



Series: Cashton af [4]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Cashton, Fluff, Implied Smut, M/M, Soulmate AU, cashton af, minor muke, photographer!ashton, very cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-17 00:19:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8123263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takeitoffhemmo/pseuds/takeitoffhemmo
Summary: Everyone gets a tattoo that's the outline of a flower and when they fall in love with their soulmate the flower becomes filled with color. Luke and Michael find each other as soulmates pretty early, but the anxiety of finding a soulmate still presses on their friends, Ashton and Calum. Will Ashton and Calum find solace in each other while still searching for their other half? Will they be each other's soulmates?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [two birds of a feather](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3063311) by [leothequeenn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leothequeenn/pseuds/leothequeenn). 



> hi!! so I picked the flowers on their wrists based off of their star signs so this what they all are:  
>  _Luke & Ashton - acanthus_  
>  _Calum - orchid_  
>  _Michael - mums_
> 
> (I didn't edit all of this so sorry for any spelling errors!)

_In 5th grade_

The sun shines brightly through the classroom windows and reflects off the whiteboard at the front of the room. There's a soft rustle of paper as a breeze blows throughout the room. Someone drops a pencil towards the back and a kid giggles. The teacher is standing at the front writing neatly on the whiteboard. When they step away the word "Soulmates" is legibly printed across the middle of the board in black ink. Immediately Ashton raises his hand. 

"Yes, Ashton?" the teacher says when they notice the small boy's hand in the air. 

"What are...soulmates?" he asks curiously, tripping over the new word in his mouth. The kids around him stop messing around to look towards the teacher. They've never heard this word either. Soulmates. 

The teacher smiles and then answers Ashton's question. "Soulmates are when two people, sometimes more than two, are meant to be together. These pairings are halves of each other's wholes. Every single one of you have a soulmate that you'll hopefully meet someday. On your 12th birthday you'll receive a tattoo of a flower that will begin to color in once you've found your soulmate and begin falling in love. Sometimes a soulmate is just your best friend though and in that case the flower will also fill in once you've met. Any more questions?" 

Calum can't sit still. The room is too hot and the teacher hasn't even started the lesson yet. Calum wants to go home. He's hungry and knows his mom made cookies today. A cookie sounds really good right now. He's distracted and fidgety and he doesn't know why. Michael keeps sending him glances and Calum just shrugs. Eventually the teacher approaches the board and writes a word: Soulmates. The teacher then explains what soulmates are and Calum thinks it's kind of dumb. How can a tattoo know when you've met someone you belong with? 

_7th grade_

Ashton and Luke have the same flower for their tattoo. At first they thought maybe their teachers were wrong and people with matching flowers were soulmates. They thought they were the friendship kind, but it wasn't long before they realized they don't really _complete_ each other, so they disregarded the idea. Nonetheless, they're still good friends. 

"I heard that Jenny already found her soulmate. How could she do that so fast? We just got our tattoos a year ago," Luke says while they're eating lunch. 

Ashton shrugs. "I guess she got lucky. When do you think we'll find our soulmates? I'm kind of excited to meet them." 

Luke grins and takes a bite of his sandwich. "I think it'll happen when it happens," he replies after swallowing. Luke's nervous to meet his soulmate. He's worried that it won't happen for him since he's not into girls very much. He's scared he broke the soulmate rules or something. Is that even possible? 

Ashton rolls his eyes and playfully shoves Luke. "That's such an unhelpful answer!" 

"We can't predict when it'll happen, Ash," Luke reminds him with a frown. Ashton has been overeager to meet his soulmate ever since he learned what they are. He always tells Luke stories about what he imagines his soulmate to be like. Luke finds it entertaining, but most of the time he wishes Ashton would shut up. 

"Whatever," Ashton mutters and then steals one of Luke's chips. He's excited to meet his soulmate and he's not going to let Luke ruin that. He doesn't really know why Luke's not excited to meet someone that'll make him feel whole, but whatever. It's his life, right? Ashton goes to sleep every night praying he'll meet his other half soon. 

Calum thinks the whole soulmates concept is overrated. Everyone is excited about it all the time and a few people have already found their soulmates. He thinks it's kind of crazy to automatically become so attached to someone because a tattoo begins to fill with color. He wishes he thought it was cool, but he just can't bring himself to that level. It feels overrated to him. At least his friend, Michael, feels the same. 

"Soulmate this, soulmate that," Michael complains one afternoon while they're playing videogames in Calum's basement. 

"I know. It's annoying," Calum agrees and then scores at goal against Michael. 

Michael grumbles since he's just lost the game and then drops his controller. "I don't understand the excitement," he admits, rolling his head against the back of the couch to look at Calum. 

Calum shrugs. "Bro, I don't get it either. It doesn't really seem that special to me." Really Calum's just scared he'll never find his soulmate. He's read stories where that happens. Sometimes a soulmate dies before they have the chance to meet their other half. Sometimes soulmates path's just never cross. It makes Calum sad thinking about that, so instead he thinks soulmates are overrated. 

Michael frowns at Calum's words. "It could be special," he whispers like he doesn't want to admit it aloud. 

Calum ruffles Michael's hair and offers him a small smile. "Sure, Mikey. It can be special." 

Michael laughs a little and pushes Calum away. They continue playing FIFA and pretending they don't care about soulmates. 

_summer after 12th grade_

Luke found his soulmate. He didn't mean to, no one ever knows it's going to happen, but he did it. Ever since it happened Luke's been annoyingly happy. He refuses to tell Ash who his soulmate is though, and tries to pretend he isn't as happy as he is. Ashton didn't even know Luke was dating someone until they hung out one day and Luke's wrist was colored in different shades of green. Him and Ash have some sort of bush like plant for their tattoos. Ashton thinks it's ugly but Luke's always sort of loved it. 

"How could you not tell me like right away?" Ashton had asked, grabbing Luke's wrist and turning it upwards. 

Luke shrugs and takes his wrist back. "I didn't know he'd be my soulmate, okay?" Luke replied with a small smile. 

"Well, who is he?" Ashton wanted to know. He wants to meet whoever completes Luke since that's pretty important. 

"He's just a guy. Let's hang out, alright?" Luke replied and ever since he has refused to tell Ashton anything more. 

Ashton doesn't understand why Luke won't tell him more. Ashton would tell Luke about his soulmate if he had met his, so why is Luke holding back? Ashton knows Luke's always been scared to find his soulmate, maybe he doesn't think it's real? It never crosses Ashton mind that Luke held back because of him. Luke knows how anxious Ashton is to meet his soulmate and Luke almost feels guilty that he met his first. He knew that'd make Ashton sad so he's been trying to avoid talking about it with Ash. Unfortunately, he knows that at some point he'll have to give in and let Ashton meet his soulmate. 

Michael started dating a guy towards the beginning of the year and he's been absolutely _annoying_ talking about him non-stop. Calum was ready to strangle his best friend if he heard him talk about this guy one more time. Towards the end of the year Michael calls Calum crying and Calum is ready to fight this guy Michael's been dating but he chokes out, "He's my soulmate, Calum" instead. Calum doesn't know what to do with that information. He isn't sure why Michael's crying about that. So he asks, "Michael, why are you crying?" 

There's a silence where Michael sniffles and then replies, "He makes me so happy and now I can have him forever. I was so scared he wouldn't be my soulmate and I'd have to let him go. I was terrified one of us would meet our real soulmate and we'd be crushed. Calum, I'm so relieved it's him." 

Calum begins to realize the soulmate thing can run pretty deep for some. He pushes down his feelings of doubt and replies to Michael. "I'm so happy for you, man. I wanna meet him sometime, alright?" 

"Okay. I gotta go, but I'll see you at school," Michael says and Calum can hear a faint giggle in the background. Michael must be with his soulmate. 

"See you," Calum replies and then stares at his phone for a few minutes. What if he never finds his soulmate? 

_beginning of 12th grade_

Luke decides to get a job at the music store downtown. He doesn't tell Ashton he's decided to do this. He gets the job on his own and then tells Ash he's begun working. A week after Luke starts working at the store a boy his age with dyed black hair comes in to buy a few CDs. Luke can't stop blushing while he rings the guy up. He keeps flirting with Luke too and ends up scribbling his number on his receipt and handing it to Luke. "Call me," he says before exiting the store. 

Luke does call him later that night. He finds out the boy's name is Michael and he's a year older than Luke but a senior as well. They find out that they have a lot of similar interests and Michael takes a leap to ask Luke out. Luke's scared by how much he wants to say yes. He should say yes, right? He hasn't felt like this with anyone before. Michael is cool and confident but he likes Luke anyway. One date can't hurt though, Luke reasons before agreeing to a date with Michael. 

Fast forward three months to when Luke's coming home from a date with Michael. He sees Michael almost once a week and somehow has managed to keep the whole thing a secret from Ashton. He doesn't want Ashton to tell him he shouldn't catch feelings for Michael since they might not be soulmates. Luke really likes Michael and he's just going to keep staring at his wrist every night before bed and hope it starts changing color soon. Tonight when he looks at his wrist he swears he can see a green outline. He convinces himself it's nothing. He's scared of getting his hopes up. 

Another three months later and Michael's rolling off Luke to lie beside him in bed. Michael carelessly throws his condom somewhere in the room causing Luke to scrunch up his nose in disgust. What if he steps on that later? Ew. As Michael moves to pull Luke into his chest Luke notices Michael's wrist. He grabs it and flips it over for them both to see. 

"Michael, it's colored in," Luke whispers in awe. He's never seen someone's tattoo color in so close to him before. He's mesmerized by the different reds and oranges coloring in the mums on Michael's wrist. 

"Holy shit," Michael replies and then goes to flip Luke's wrist as well. Luke gasps as he realizes the leaves on his wrist are different shades of green now. 

"Does this mean...?" Luke asks, his voice trailing off because he's too afraid to say the words. 

"Yeah, I think so," Michael replies with a huge smile. "I love you," he says leaning down to kiss Luke. 

"I love you too," Luke replies before their lips connect. 

_first semester of college_

_September_

Luke and Ashton decide to get an apartment together that's close to their colleges. They didn't apply to the same school but the schools they were accepted to are in the same city. They both have jobs and can afford the apartment so they decide it's the best option for them. Ashton still hasn't met Michael and he asks Luke every time they hang out. Luke knows he's going to have to introduce them very soon especially if he's going to be living with Ashton now. Michael decided against college even after Luke gave many convincing arguments on why he should attend. Michael ignored all of his arguments and has chosen to focus on a music career. Luke fully supports him anyway. 

"Hey Luke, when am I going to meet your soulmate? Shouldn't you invite him to our house warming party? I wanna meet him. Why won't you tell me anything about him except that he's a him?" Ashton asks after they've finished unpacking all of their boxes. 

"I try to not talk about him because I know you're sad you haven't met your soulmate yet," Luke replies with a small smile. He can tell it really bothers Ashton that he hasn't met his soulmate yet. Ashton pretends like he isn't bothered, but Luke knows he is. Finding his soulmate has always been important to Ashton. Luke was always excited about the prospect but not overeager the way Ashton is. Michael didn't even believe in soulmates until he met Luke. Luke kind of hopes Ashton's soulmate isn't as indifferent towards the ideas of soulmates as Michael was. Luke knows that'd break Ashton. 

"It doesn't make me sad. I know I'll find my soulmate soon. You shouldn't be afraid to talk to me about yours. He makes you happy, right? I like it when you're happy. Please, tell me about him," Ashton begs with a puppy dog expression. 

Luke huffs and decides to give in. "His name is Michael and he's a year older than me. We met while I was working at the music store. We dated for a few months before our tattoos colored in and I think that was one of the best moments of my life. We were both so shocked. Up until that night I was so scared he wouldn't be my soulmate and I'd have to let him go. Michael never really said as much to me but I think he was scared too. We were so happy we cried. I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner," Luke says and suddenly feels bad he didn't call Ashton the second his tattoo filled in. Michael called his best friend immediately. Why didn't Luke? 

"That's great, Luke. I'm really happy for you," Ashton replies and he means it. He's happy Luke found his soulmate and he likes his soulmate. It's obvious to Ashton that Michael makes Luke happy and that's all that matters to Ashton. He just hopes when he finds his soulmate that he'll be just as happy. 

"Yeah, thanks. So, um, I guess I could invite him over sometime," Luke says hesitantly like he's unsure that Ashton still wants that. 

Ashton nods. "Yeah! I really wanna meet him cuz you're going to marry him someday, right?" As the words leave Ashton's mouth he realizes how true they are. Someday Luke's going to be married to his soulmate, but where will Ashton be? What if he never meets his soulmate? What if he dies alone? What if no one ever loves him? What if -- 

"Ash, stop," Luke says and touches his shoulder. Ashton looks into Luke's concerned eyes, soft hazel meeting icy blue, and he wants to cry. He can't let Luke know that though. He knows Luke's been refusing to talk about Michael because of him. "You're going to meet your soulmate, okay? I'm not going anywhere either. We're best friends till the end," Luke assures softly with a smile. Ashton really wants to believe him. 

Michael doesn't make enough money to pay half of the rent, but Calum still insists that Michael lives with him. Michael's grateful though because his parents were starting to get annoyed with him still living at home anyway. He loves Calum, but he kind of wishes he was with Luke. Ever since their tattoos colored in his need to be near Luke has grown by like a thousand and he misses Luke every second they're apart. They discussed living together but in the end decided that they didn't want to leave their best friends to fend for themselves. Sometimes Michael catches Calum staring at his wrist so Michael started wearing bracelets to cover his tattoo. Calum never says it, but Michael thinks he's scared he won't ever find his soulmate. 

Calum wrote off soulmates for a long time, but after Michael found his Calum is starting to think there's something to this whole soulmate concept. Now all Calum can think about is whether or not he'll ever meet his soulmate. He's so scared he won't. He thinks about all of the people that he knows and wonders if he got closer to any of them if his orchid would color in. He's so scared he'll never find his soulmate. 

"Michael, when you met Luke, did you, well, did you have a feeling he was going to be your soulmate? I mean, what compelled you to ask him out?" Calum asks while they're laying on the floor of their living room one night. It's late, like 2am, and the only light in the room is from the street lamps outside. 

Michael sighs and Calum can hear him shift his position. "He was so cute. He kept blushing at the things I was saying and I knew I couldn't walk away from that. I didn't date him expecting to find my soulmate. I just liked him. A lot. I was happy when we found out we were soulmates though because I was getting attached and scared he'd call me saying he found someone new, someone who colored in his tattoo. I didn't plan anything. It all just...happened," Michael replies softly and Calum knows he's smiling. Michael always smiles when he talks about Luke. 

"Do you think people find someone they really love and then find out they're not soulmates with that person?" Calum wonders while also revealing his deepest fear. He knows it must happen. Not everyone can find their soulmate within the first person they date. 

"I suppose it happens. It probably sucks but then they'll find their soulmate. After that nothing else will have mattered," Michael answers and then sits up. "I'm going to go to bed. See you in the morning. Night, Cal." 

"Night, Mikey," Calum says but continued lying on the ground. Michael's probably going to move in with Luke someday, but where will Calum be? 

_Mid-September_

A few weeks into the first semester is when Ashton can finally meet Michael. Ashton, Luke and Michael spend a lot of time trying to find a day they were all free. Ashton didn't know, but Luke and Michael were also making sure Calum was free this day as well. Luke and Michael think it'll be good for Ashton and Calum to meet each other too. They can be one huge friend group then. They decided to meet at a restaurant nearby so they could eat and hopefully the atmosphere will be lighter. 

"Come on, Ash! We're going to be late!" Luke exclaims from the doorway of their shared apartment. Usually Luke's the one spending forever on his hair, but recently he's just been leaving it alone and it looks pretty good. Michael sometimes complains that he misses the quiff, but he also says he loves playing with Luke's curls. Luke can't stop the smile that crosses his face when he starts thinking about Michael. 

"Stop thinking about Michael and let's go," Ashton says as he brushes past Luke and out of the apartment. 

Luke shakes his head and then locks the door. He follows Ash to his car and gets in the passenger seat. "You're going to love him," Luke says and he doesn't know if he's talking about Michael or Calum. 

Ashton smiles as he begins driving to the restaurant. "I better," he replies and then turns the radio up. 

They arrive at the restaurant on time, much to Luke's surprise, and beat the other half of their group. Of course Ashton doesn't realize two people are missing though. Luke finds an empty table and sits down. Ashton follows him and sits in the chair next to him. Luke shakes his head. "Nah uh. I'm sitting by Michael. Move." 

Ashton glares at Luke but moves to the chair across from him nonetheless. "You're going to be gross with him the whole time and I'm going to be third wheeling the whole time," Ashton complains with a huff. 

Luke just smiles in reply and looks towards the door. A few seconds later, bright red hair and a Maori boy walk in. Luke's smile grows even more and he stands up to wave them over. Michael grins when he sees Luke and pulls him into a kiss once he's at the table. They sit down next to each other, Michael loudly pushing his chair as close to Luke as it can get, and then kisses Luke's cheek for good measure. "I missed you," Michael whispers. 

"You saw me two days ago," Luke replies with a laugh. 

"That's way too long," Michael says and Luke rolls his eyes fondly. 

"Whatever, Michael." 

"Um," someone says and they turn back to the table. They forgot Calum came and neither Ash nor Cal knew the other would be here. 

"Oh yeah! Hey, Calum. This is my friend Ashton. We thought it'd be cool if you guys met too, so we could all be friends, and yeah. Was -- was that a bad idea?" Luke says, biting his lip. Maybe he shouldn't have bombarded them this way. Michael squeezes his hand and Luke smiles at him. 

"Oh, um, hi Ashton," Calum says and smiles at the curly haired boy. 

"Hi Calum. Do you, uh, wanna sit down?" Ashton asks and he can feel his cheeks heating up. Why is he blushing? Why is Michael's friend so cute? 

Calum nods and then sits beside Ashton. He thinks Ashton's beautiful. "So, do you, I mean, are you in college too?" Calum asks. Why is he stuttering? He never stutters. He glances at Michael to catch him smirking. Dammit, Michael. Calum ignores his friend and turns back to Ashton with a smile. 

"Um yeah, I'm studying photography," Ashton answers.

Calum nods. "That's cool. I don't really know what I want to study yet," he replies with a laugh. Calum's not very good at knowing what he wants in life. It scares him thinking about how one day he'll probably be sitting in an office hating his life. He doesn't want that but he also doesn't know what he _does_ want so he can avoid that. 

Ashton smiles at Calum anyway. "Luke doesn't know what he wants either," Ashton teases and Luke scoffs.

Michael turns to Luke with wide eyes and says, "I thought you wanted to be a teacher." 

Luke shrugs. "Maybe," he replies quietly. Michael looks like he's going to say something else but seems to decide to drop it. 

"Well, Michael's not even going to college. He's working on becoming a rock star," Calum says while smiling at his best friend.

Ashton sends Luke a glare which causes the younger boy to sink down in his seat. "Luke never mentioned that," Ashton replies and Luke just shrugs again. Ashton realizes how much Luke has been keeping from him lately and he wonders if Luke still wants to be friends. 

"That's weird. Michael literally never shuts up about Luke. I thought Luke would be the same. Seriously, I'm sick of hearing 'Luke did this' and 'Luke did that'. It's annoying," Calum says with a laugh. 

Ashton nods slowly. "Yeah, I bet." He sends Luke another look before he turns to his menu. "Maybe we should order now, yeah?" 

Everyone seems to agree as they all look down at the menu. A waiter appears not long after to take their orders. The conversation resumes once they're waiting for their food to arrive. 

"So, Michael, you plan to pursue music and not attend college? That's really interesting to me," Ashton says while glancing at Luke. Luke avoids his gaze. 

Michael straightens himself in his seat and smiles at Ashton. "Yeah, I am. I've been busking and making some money off of that. I've been writing my own stuff for awhile now so I really just need to get noticed by a label, you know? I work a part-time job at a grocery store bagging, but, I mean, that's not a dream job or anything. I'm really passionate about music so I'm going for it. Luke sort of encouraged it," Michael answers and hesitantly looks to his soulmate. Luke tries to smile, but it doesn't quite work. He knows he should've talked with Ashton about Michael more, but he just couldn't bare to see Ashton sad. 

"Sounds great. I wish Luke had told me more about you before today," Ashton replies with a small sigh. He understands that Luke didn't want him sad, but he still wishes Luke wouldn't have kept so much from him. 

Luke sighs. "Ash, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean -- " 

"Trust me, Ash, you should thank Luke for keeping so much to himself. Sure, it hurts he didn't tell you some things sooner, but honestly with how much Michael babbled about Luke you've been saved so much of your life. We're all friends here, right?" Calum says suddenly and everyone turns to look at him. Calum doesn't seem fazed by his interjection. In fact, he keeps an easy smile on his face that slowly relaxes everyone else. Calum doesn't mind playing the peacemaker; he does it a lot. He just hates seeing people fight so he presents the middle ground and hopes they take it. Most of the time it works and today seems to be one of those days. 

"Alright, yeah. Yeah," Ashton replies and shoots a smile to Luke. Luke returns the smile and Michael kisses his hand. 

Their food arrives a few moments later and the conversation dies as they eat. Once the food is gone they're laughing as if they're old friends and all the earlier tension is gone.

They've just paid for their food and are now debating what to do next. 

"I really do miss Luke," Michael pouts and pulls the younger boy closer to him. Luke rolls his eyes but is smiling and doesn't resist his boyfriend. 

"I feel like I barely ever hang out with Ashton anymore though," Luke replies but doesn't seem to be eager to move away from Michael. 

Calum sighs. "You guys go on. Ashton and I will hang out, right Ash?" Calum says while smiling at the curly haired boy. 

Ashton glances between his best friend and Calum before nodding. "Yeah. We can hang out," he says and then turns to Luke and Michael. "No sex on the couch." 

Luke laughs and nods. "Never," he promises. 

Michael rolls his eyes though. "No promises," he counters with a grin. 

"Michael," Calum says sternly and then Michael groans and shakes his head. 

"You know I never would," Michael replies. Michael tugs Luke out of the restaurant and then Ashton and Calum are left alone. 

"God, they're so annoying," Calum laughs. 

Ashton shakes his head in disbelief. "You know what? You're right. I should be glad Luke kept so much from me. They're disgusting." Ashton turns to Calum with a smile and the other boy is smiling just as much. Ashton thinks him and Calum could become good friends. "So, what now?" he asks because he assumed Calum had a plan since he suggested they hang out. 

"Come on," Calum replies and gestures for Ashton to follow him as he walks out of the restaurant. 

They end up in a nature park that Ashton didn't even know existed. Calum explains that his mom used to bring to the park a lot when he was a kid and he hasn't really been back since then. Ashton is endeared that Calum takes him somewhere he's only been with his mom. It makes Ashton feel special that he gets to see this side of Calum. It feels almost intimate even though they just met. 

They walk through the park for awhile before Calum stops and sits in the grass. Ashton sits beside him but quickly decides he'd rather lay down and stare at the clouds. Calum lays beside him and sighs. 

"So, now that dumb and dumber are gone we can actually get to know each other. Like, for real," Calum says after a few moments of silence. 

Ashton rolls to his side and looks at Calum. "What do you wanna know?" he asks. This is when he realizes that the sun gives Calum's skin a warm glow that makes him want to touch. Ashton really wants to touch Calum but he shoves the desire down. He's supposed to become Calum's friend not weirdly obsess about his nice skin. He thinks if he had his camera, though, he could take a beautiful picture of Calum right now. 

"What's your favorite kind of music?" Calum asks because that's important to him. He can't be friends with Ashton if they don't like the same music. 

"I like basically anything. If I can tell the artist is being sincere and passionate then I'll like it. I mostly listen to Green Day and stuff though," Ashton answers with a smile. "I even like country. My mom used to play it a lot when I was younger. It's good memories." 

"Oh, awesome! Dude, I love blink and all time low like that kind of music. So, you're majoring in photography? That's pretty cool. What kind of photos do you take?" 

Ashton shrugs. "I guess anything I find interesting? I don't like to discriminate the things I capture. If I see something beautiful I'll take a picture. I kinda wish I had my camera right now," Ash replies and tries to convince himself it's not so he can take candid photos of Calum. Ashton really needs to end whatever this is that he's feeling. 

"The park is pretty cool. Maybe we should come back with your camera, yeah?" Calum says with a smile. It never occurs to him that Ashton wasn't only referring to the landscape around them. Calum thinks him and Ashton are going to be great friends which is good since they don't know how long they have before Michael and Luke ditch them for good. Calum doesn't think Michael, or Luke for that matter, would ever completely break off their friendship, but he should be prepared for the worst. Ashton will definitely make things less shitty. Ashton's cool. 

"Yeah sure!" Ashton replies and then glances around at the scenery. He could probably take some nice photos of it. He'd rather takes pictures of Calum though. He's not going to tell the other boy that though. He needs this friendship with Calum to work out so whatever this thing is that's happening with Ashton needs to stop. Seriously, has Ashton ever developed a crush this fast before? He doesn't think so. 

"So, what majors have you considered?" Ashton asks after a moment of silence where he doesn't tell Calum he's more beautiful than the park and Calum doesn't think about Ashton thinking that. 

"Uh, well, I've always sort of been into writing, like stories, poems, songs. Almost anything," Calum replies with a laugh. His minds wanders to his journal and what he'd say about Ashton. He knows he should only write a brief journal entry -- that's all he's ever done for Luke -- but something about Ashton makes Calum want to write a poem or at least something better than just a journal entry. Ashton's cool and interesting; he deserves more than a journal entry. 

"That's really cool! I'm not very good at putting things into words so I guess that's why I take pictures. Pictures can say just as much," Ashton replies and then rolls onto his back again. He stares up at the white clouds and blue sky. He can feel Calum lay beside him and he grins. 

They lay together in silence for what feels like a really long time before Calum whispers, "Can I see your photos sometimes?" 

Ashton whispers, "Yes," and then they don't speak again until they're going home. 

_November_

Ashton's been spending a lot of time with Calum the past month and not a lot of time taking photos for his classes. He's been taking photos, tons of photos, but none of them seem fit for any of his assignments. He clicks through the photos he downloaded earlier today and groans as he realizes _none_ of them have to do with his assignment. His assignment was to capture a photo of something he valued. What does Ashton value? Family, friends, good food? Are those even things to value? Ashton doesn't know. 

"Hey, what's up?" Luke asks from the doorway of Ashton's room. Ashton turns to see Luke leaning against his door frame. He's wearing sweatpants and a band shirt, so Ashton assumes he's planning to stay in today. For some reason that makes Ashton really happy that he'll have time with Luke today. The pair have barely seen each other lately since they've been busy with classes or hanging out with Michael in Luke's case, or Calum in Ashton's case. 

"Just trying to pick a photo to turn in for my assignment. It needs to be something I value. Luke, what do I value?" Ashton replies while staring at the hundreds of photos on his computer. He's taken so many and so many mean so much to him, but which one is of something he values? 

Luke walks over to Ashton and then clicks through his photos. The room is silent besides the faint clicking from Luke and after five minutes Luke stops and straightens up. "This one," he says and turns to Ashton with a smile. 

Ashton leans forward to see which photo Luke's chosen and his cheeks heat up immediately. Luke chose a candid of Calum. Ashton hated himself for taking the picture since he promised himself he wouldn't, but Calum looked too beautiful to pass up. In the photo Calum's laughing with his eyes squinty and bright. His whole face is alight with happiness. His head is tilted back slightly and you can tell he was looking at Ashton before he melted into a fit of giggles. Ashton's always loved this photo, but he doesn't understand why Luke chose it. Sure, Ashton thinks Calum's a great friend and sometimes he thinks about how pretty he is, but he isn't sure if this one photo captures something he values. He values Calum's friendship but he doesn't think this photo shows that. 

"Um, Luke. I don't think you understood the assignment," Ashton eventually says in reply to Luke's choice. 

Luke shakes his head. "Nah uh. I don't think you understand how much you value Calum." 

"What are you talking about? I don't value Calum anymore than I value you or Michael," Ashton replies while standing up to move away from the computer. Maybe he needs some air and then he can find a new picture. 

"Ashton, you talk about Calum all the time. 'Calum did this' and 'Calum did that.' You never shut up about him. You guys hang out all the time and go on little adventures throughout the city. You're practically dating and you're both so blind to it! Ashton, have you seen this photo?" Luke asks while pointing to the computer. Ashton swallows and refuses to look at the picture again. He's seen it. He knows what it looks like and he remembers how he felt taking it. "Someone doesn't take a photo like that of their best friend. That's a photo of someone you really care about." 

Ashton takes a stuttered breath before turning to Luke. "Um, I -- I think you should go." 

Luke's face falls and he seems to shrink in on himself. "Oh, Ashton. What're you scared of?" 

Ashton only shakes his head in reply. Luke moves closer and pulls Ashton into a hug. "It's going to be okay," Luke whispers. Ashton welcomes the hug and snuggles into his friend. He misses Luke. 

Luke pulls away after a moment and Ashton catches sight of his wrist. His wrist with the beautifully colored tattoo. Luke catches Ashton staring and looks down at his wrist as well. "Oh," he mutters and then looks back at Ashton. "It didn't color in until months after I started dating Michael."

"How did it happen? You never really told me the whole story," Ashton asks while moving to sit on his bed. 

"I told you we met at the music store and dated for awhile before our tattoos colored in," Luke replies not really sure what Ashton means. 

"Was there like a sensation when it happened? I mean, when the tattoo colored in, like, did you feel it?" Ashton clarifies. 

Luke takes a moment to think back to the night his tattoo fully colored in. He doesn't remember feeling anything but it could be because it happened post coital. "I -- I don't think I felt anything. Michael just grabbed my wrist and showed it to me. He didn't notice his either. I had to point it out to him." 

"Did your tattoo fill in at all before that night?" Ashton asks while leaning closer to Luke as if Luke's answer will be a secret that no one can know except them. 

"Uh, I thought maybe I saw a green outline, but I'm not sure if I imagined it or not. I wanted Michael to be my soulmate so bad," Luke replies honestly. 

Ashton considers Luke's words and his feelings towards Calum. Whatever he feels about Calum is definitely not platonic. It's an attraction. He's attracted to his friend and he's not sure what to do about this new realization. Does Calum like him in this way as well? If they do date will they be soulmates or will their hearts be crushed when their tattoos never fill in? Ashton doesn't know the answer to any of these questions and he's scared to learn the answers. 

"Luke, what do I do?" he finally asks after almost biting his lip off. Lately he's been doing that a lot. He needs to stop. 

Luke smiles at Ashton and he knows what his friend will say before he even opens his mouth. "Ashton, you need to talk to Calum and figure out what you guys want." 

Ashton sighs but nods. He knows that's what he needs to do. 

A week later Ashton finds himself sitting across from Calum in their favorite coffee shop. It sounds sort of cliche, but it's the reality that Ashton finds himself living. Calum suggested the location, and Ashton agreed that it'd be good. He stares at the boy sitting across from him and wonders how he'll see him different once he confesses his feelings. He hopes Calum doesn't hate him. 

"Are you alright?" Calum asks after taking a sip of his drink. 

Ashton shifts in his seat and takes a deep breath. It's now or never, right? "Calum, I have to confess something. I think, well, I think I like you inaromanticway," Ashton says and then quickly looking down at his mug. 

"Sorry, what?" Calum replies and Ashton can feel his face heat up, but not from the steam of his coffee. 

"I like you in a romantic way," Ashton repeats. "I think about going on dates with you and falling asleep with you in my arms. I think about kissing your forehead and holding your hand. I want to take pictures to capture your beauty and the way your eyes shine when you're happy. God, you're so beautiful, and I really like you." 

"Really? You feel all those things?" Calum asks while staring at Ashton with an expression he can't quite decipher. Is it amazement? Horror? Ashton doesn't know. 

"Uh, yeah. Those are my feelings. Luke told me I needed to tell you and I agreed with him and maybe this was stupid, but I did it, so yeah. I hope you don't hate me though because I still want to be your friend, if you're alright with that. It's okay if you hate me though -- " 

"I don't hate you. I could never. Ashton, I like you too. In a romantic way," Calum says, cutting Ashton off. He smiles at Ashton and Ashton's world stops. At least that's how it feels to Ashton. Calum likes him too. Holy shit. Calum likes him too! 

"Wha-what? Are you for real?" Ashton asks because this cannot be real life. 

Calum nods and his smile doesn't leave his face. "Yeah, you dummy. I've liked you for awhile now." 

Ashton shakes his head and rests it in his hands. "I can't believe you like me back. This is crazy." 

Calum laughs. "It's not that crazy if you think about. I can finally ask you out though." 

Ashton looks up from his hands and teasingly smiles at Calum. "Why haven't you yet?" 

Calum rolls his eyes fondly while ever so slightly shaking his head. "Would you go out on a date with me?" 

Ashton pauses as if he's thinking before he replies, "Yes, of course." 

Calum's entire face ignites with happiness. "Great! I'll pick you up on Friday at 7." 

Ashton beams just as brightly back at Calum as he nods in affirmation. "Can't wait." 

_Night of the Date_

Ashton is freaking out. He can't find any of his clothes. Seriously, where did they all go? 

"Luke! Did you steal all my clothes?" Ashton shouts from his bedroom where he's standing in the middle of it. He can't find his clothes. Where are they? 

"No? What the fuck. They're still in your dresser," Luke replies while walking into the room. 

Ashton paces his room and stares at his dresser. He's positive none of his clothes are in there anymore. He shakes his head adamantly and turns to Luke with a helpless expression on his face. "I swear they're not in there. Help me." 

Luke walks over to the dresser and pulls and drawer open. The drawer is filled with Ashton's clothes. Luke pulls out a shirt he thinks is pretty nice and holds it up for Ashton to see. "What about this?" 

Ashton stares at the shirt suspended from Luke's hand with wide eyes. "Wha -- how did you? -- I don't even wanna know," Ashton stutters and then takes the shirt from Luke. It's one of Ashton's nicer ones that doesn't have any holes in it. It's a vibrant red and although Ashton doesn't wear it often he knows it makes him look good whenever he does. Ashton replaces his old shirt with the new red one and feels some tension leave his body. He's slightly less stressed now. 

"Luke, you're a life-saver," Ashton comments with a grin. His hands are still slightly shaking, but he doesn't feel a need to pace anymore. 

"That's what I'm here for. When are you meeting him?" Luke asks and leans against Ashton's tall dresser. 

"He's picking me up at 7. I'm not sure what we're doing yet. It'll be good, right? This is right?" Ashton asks and begins to pace again. His mind feels like it's running at a 100 miles per hour. He can barely breathe. His breaths are short and quick. Oh god, is he going to pass out? He stops and sits on his bed. His knee begins to bounce. 

"Dude, you need to calm down. I've seen the way Calum looks at you. You don't need to be worried. I'm sure everything will work out," Luke assures his friend while warily assessing his current emotional state. 

Ashton takes a deep breath to steady himself and then nods. "Yeah, you're right. I don't need to be worried." Ashton offers Luke a fragile smile and then there's a knock at the door. 

Luke leaves to answer the door. He swings the door open to see a nervous Calum with his head bent while he straightens out his shirt. He looks startled when he glances up to see Luke. 

"Uh, hi," he greets with a small wave. "Is, um, Ashton ready?"

Luke offers a smile that he hopes is reassuring as he opens the door farther to invite Calum in. "I think he is. Let me go get him." 

Luke walks back to Ashton's room and opens the door. Tentatively, he moves toward his friend who's still sitting on his bed. "Hey, um, Calum's here and he looks pretty nervous too which is silly because you guys are obviously meant for -- " 

"Don't say it," Ashton blurts. Suddenly he stands up and walks to the door. "Don't say it," he repeats as he brushes past Luke. 

Luke looks at his friend in confusion before shaking his head and following him. He gets back to the living room to witness Ashton blushing at something Calum must have said. Luke can feel a smile easily break across his face as he walks toward his friends. 

"Who's place are you having sex at later, so Mikey and I can be somewhere else?" Luke asks to announce his presence. 

Startled, Calum jumps at Luke's voice before turning to face him. While he glances between Luke and Ashton his entire face slowly turns red. "Um, I, we --" he stutters and then Ashton cuts him off. 

"Luke's just being an asshole," Ashton remarks while glaring at his friend. 

Shrugging, Luke replies, "It was a serious question." 

"Alright then, we're gonna bang here in your bed if you don't mind," Ashton answers, the dare evident in his eyes. 

Luke rolls his eyes and shrugs again. "Whatever. Just wash the sheets." 

Luke laughs while he watches Calum sputter and Ashton stare at him open-mouthed. Once he finds control of himself again, his easy smile is back and he gestures toward the door. "You crazy kids should get going." 

Ashton takes that as his cue to get the hell away from his crazy friend before he can traumatize Calum anymore. As Ashton is pulling Calum to the door, Luke shouts, "Use a condom!" and then they're safely out the door. 

"Where did you park?" Ashton asks once they're in the hallway. He wanted to get farther before stopping, but he didn't want to start walking the wrong way down the hallway. 

"Uh, out front," Calum replies and begins walking to the left of Ashton's apartment door. 

Nodding, Ashton follows him. They walk in silence to the car, and once they're inside is when Ashton decides to break it. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" 

Calum grins as he replies, "Don't worry. You'll love it." 

Ashton is convinced that Calum is intentionally driving in circles to throw him off. They've been weaving throughout the city for almost an hour now, and Ashton's positive they should have arrived by now. He's been enjoying blasting rock music and singing with Calum, but he's ready to get out of the damn car. 

"Calum," he whines while staring out at the city with the sun slowly lowering behind it. 

"Ashton," Calum replies in an equally whiny tone. 

"Are we there yet?" Ashton asks, knowing fully well that they are, in fact, not there yet. 

"Soon," Calum replies and continues to drive. 

Sliding lower into his seat, Ashton lets out a huff. He stares out the window and slowly finds himself drifting to sleep. 

A cool breeze hits Ashton's skin causing him to shiver. Slowly opening his eyes he observes his surroundings. There's parked cars all around him and it appears that he's in a field. 

"Uh, Cal?" Ashton asks when he realizes that he can't see Calum anywhere. 

"Back here," Calum replies from somewhere behind Ashton. Ashton twists around in his seat to see Calum sitting the trunk of the car. The seats are collapsed and there's blankets spread out along the floor of the car. Ashton's eyes travel past the car and notice the huge screen set up a few hundred feet away. 

"Oh," Ashton says and then crawls out of his seat to join Calum. 

"Hi," Calum says once Ashton's settled into the back next to him. Ashton could feel Calum's breath on his face when he spoke since they sat so close. 

Ashton turns his head to Calum and smiles. "Hi." 

"Would it be too soon if we kissed?" Calum asks quietly, and they're so close Ashton could feel Calum's words against his lips. 

Ashton shakes his head, and closes the distance. Their lips only touch for a moment before Ashton pulls away with a smile. The kiss was soft, and he enjoyed it a lot. Maybe too much. 

"Was that good for you too?" Ashton asks barely above a whisper. 

"Yeah," Calum replies and bites his lip. 

Ashton is gazing into Calum's eyes and debating kissing him a second time when suddenly there's a loud noise startling them. Ashton turns to the screen and a trailer is playing for a movie Ashton will probably see when he's bored and it's raining outside. Ashton laughs lightly and turns back to Calum who's laughing too. 

"What movies are even playing?" Ashton asks while they readjust their bodies so they're reclining, but not too far that they can't see the screen. 

Calum shrugs and pulls Ashton closer to him. Ashton lays his head on Calum's chest and slings a leg over Calum's. Calum's hands go to Ashton's hair. "I didn't really check. I just thought this would be fun," he answers, and Ashton can feel him speaking. 

Ashton only nods and then cuddles further into his boyfriend; are they boyfriends now? 

After the movie they go back to Ashton's and Luke is actually gone. There's condoms sitting on the kitchen table and Calum laughs when he spots them. "He should've taken them for himself," Calum snickers. 

Ashton laughs at Calum's comment and glances between the condoms and him. "Do we -- should we -- ?" Ashton tries to find the right question to ask, but Calum answers him by scooping up the condoms. 

Calum shrugs. "We don't have to." 

Ashton raises his eyebrow. "Do you want to?" 

Calum studies Ashton's face and then looks down at the condoms in his hand. What does he want? Theoretically, if Ashton wants it they'll have sex eventually, but is tonight right? How attached does Calum want to get if it turns out they're not soulmates? Suddenly Calum is extremely nervous. He drops the condoms and looks back up at Ashton with a tentative smile. 

"We should wait," he answers quietly. 

Ashton returns the smile and offers a hand. "Do you wanna cuddle?" 

With a nod, Calum takes Ashton's hand and Ashton leads them to the couch where they fall against each other. Calum snuggles into Ashton and inhales his scent. Ashton clings to him tight as if he knows how scared Calum is. Maybe he's scared too. 

"Don't go," Calum whispers. He hates how small he feels, but something about the whole soulmate thing really fucks with him. 

Kissing the top of Calum's head, the words almost lost in Calum's hair, Ashton replies, "I won't." 

Luke comes back the next afternoon to find Ashton and Calum still lying on the couch, their bodies intertwined. While Luke is smiling at them Michael barges in asking about lunch. Michael runs into Luke and scowls at him before following his gaze to the pair on the couch. 

"What do we do?" he asks while smiling like Luke is. 

"Let's leave them alone," Luke replies and intertwines his fingers with Michael's to tug him back out the door. They walk together out of the apartment and go out to lunch. 

Two weeks later Ashton finds himself back in Calum's park with him. This time Ashton has a camera with him and he's prepared to take as many beautiful pictures of Calum that he can. They're both wearing heavy sweaters and their breath crystallizes in the air momentarily before disappearing. The trees are bare and the grass crunches beneath their feet as they walk. 

Ashton lingers a few steps behind Calum and takes a picture of their clasped hands. He knows it's cliche, but the sun was hitting their hands just right. Also, he just wants to document this in case Calum turns out to be his soulmate. He doesn't think about what he'll do with the photo if Calum isn't his soulmate. Calum grins and turns back to look at Ashton, so he takes another photo. 

Laughing, Calum gently pushes Ashton. "Stop taking pictures of me!" 

"You're so cute though," Ashton replies with a pout. 

Calum rolls his eyes but kisses Ashton anyway. "You're cute too," he says and there's a flash in Ashton's peripheral. 

"You dick!" Ashton giggles as he realizes Calum caught a picture of him with his phone. 

"I get to have pictures of you too!" Calum protests while holding his phone out of Ashton's reach. 

With a huff Ashton gives up and walks ahead of Calum. Calum quickly walks to catch up with his boyfriend. "Hey! Ashton, wait!" he calls and when he finally catches up he turns Ashton to him. Ashton refuses to look at Calum so he sighs a resigned, "Babe." Ashton still doesn't reply, but his lips twitch. Calum feels his own lips twitch as he begins to speak again. "I'm really sorry for not giving you any warning, but you're just so beautiful. I want to be able to see your beautiful face whenever I can. Maybe it seems too soon, but Ashton, I love you. I love you and it's so scary because we might not even be, uh, you know, but I can't ignore my feelings. You don't have to say it back, but, uh, yeah. That's how I feel." 

Ashton finally turns to look at Calum and the beginning of a smile is on his face. "You really mean that?" he asks. 

Calum nods. "Yeah. I do." 

"I love you too," Ashton replies and pulls Calum into a kiss. Calum savors the moment and tries to forget he might not get this everyday. He might not get Ashton forever. 

Once finals week starts Calum and Ashton don't get to see each other much since they're studying or taking tests almost every day. Then their families are asking when they'll be home and before either of them realize it they're in their respective homes, hours away from each other. A few days after Christmas is the first time they manage to meet up. 

They're at Ashton's place once again since Luke is with Michael's family. Luke insisted that they needed a tree so there's a small tree alight in the corner of the living room. Luke also strung red and green lights around the perimeter of the room which offers enough light that Ashton doesn't think they've used their living room light in a few weeks. 

Calum and Ashton decided to make a nest on the floor and make hot chocolate. They never really talked about whether or not they would exchange gifts but when Calum showed up he had a box under his arm and Ashton had a box with Calum's name on it under the tree. They're currently settled into their blanket nest with their gifts and hot chocolate close by. 

"Should we exchange now or wait?" Ashton asks while eyeing the box that Calum had brought with him. 

"Let's just do it now. I can tell you want to," Calum replies with a laugh. He hands the box to Ashton, and Ashton gives Calum his gift as well. 

"On three?" Ashton asks. 

Calum nods. "Yeah. One." 

"Two." 

"Three" 

They tear through the brightly colored paper and then carefully pry open the brown boxes underneath. Ashton is first to succeed and he can't stop the squeak that leaves his mouth when he sees Calum bought him a Polaroid camera. Calum finishes open his box a second later and he gasps as he sees the beautiful leather bound journal Ashton bought him. 

"Oh my gosh. I don't even know how to thank you. This is the best gift ever. Calum, I love you so much," Ashton gushes while he examines his new camera. He finds a packet of film in the box and adds some to the camera. When he looks up Calum is smiling at him with so much love that Ashton feels extra warm and gooey inside. 

"I love you too, Ash," Calum replies and leans across their discarded wrapping paper to kiss Ashton. 

After Calum pulls away Ashton glances down at the journal he got Calum. "Do you like it?" he asks. "You mentioned loving to write and I thought this would be a cool place for you to write down thoughts and stuff. I don't know, maybe it's dumb. I'm sorry if you don't like it. We can get something else. I still have the receipt and yeah. Uh." 

"Shh, I love it," Calum says and pushes the paper from between them. "C'mere." Ashton moves so he's closer to Calum and the younger boy wraps his arm around him. "Even if I didn't love it just being here with you would've been enough, you know," Calum whispers and Ashton thinks he's going to explode. Calum makes him so so happy. Everything always feels so right except – except their tattoos haven't filled in. 

"That was really cheesy," Ashton remarks with a weak laugh. 

"Yeah, well," Calum replies. A comfortable silence falls over them where they just soak in each other's presence. 

Eventually, Ashton realizes he has to use the bathroom so he gently untangles himself and leaves for a few minutes. When he comes back Calum is lying on the floor amongst all the blankets and his eyes are close. He has his arm with his tattoo slung over his forehead and his shirt is ridden up a bit. Ashton quietly grabs his new camera and takes a photo. Calum moves once he hears the shutter and he laughs when he sees Ashton holding the photo in his hand waiting for it to develop. 

"I would say 'take a picture; it'll last longer' but," Ashton says with a laugh as he feels Calum's eyes on him. He can't wait for the picture to develop. Calum's gonna look so adorable in it. After a few minutes, Ashton can see the photo and he gasps when he sees color on Calum's wrist. "Cal!" he exclaims and moves to sit by him. "Show me your wrist." 

Calum turns his arm over and gasps as well. "Oh my god. Did you – I mean, turn your wrist over too." 

Ashton flips his arm over as well and becomes scared his heart will beat out his chest. There's so many different shades of green now. It's not quite the same as Luke's, but still similar. "Calum, we're – " 

"Soulmates," Calum finishes with a grin. 

"Yeah. Soulmates," Ashton repeats and he doesn't think he's ever felt this happy in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked that! it took me forever to finish, but I think I'm really proud of it. 
> 
> Come scream at me on tumblr (lukesgoggles) or Twitter (takeitoffhemmo)!
> 
> update 7/8/18: cashton are soulmates confirmed by calum’s bday insta post to ashton!


End file.
